How far away from other corals should I place a Galaxea Coral?

You should leave at least 15 to 20 cm of empty space around a Galaxea Coral. They produce incredibly long sweeper tentacles at night that will sting and potentially kill any neighbouring corals they touch.

Why are my Galaxea polyps not opening?

Closed polyps can be a sign of poor water quality, inadequate lighting, or excessive flow. It could also indicate fluctuating calcium or alkalinity levels, or that a fish has been nipping at it.

Do I need to feed my Galaxea Coral?

While mostly photosynthetic, feeding them small meaty foods like coral snow, zooplankton, or mysis shrimp a couple of times a week when their feeding tentacles are visible will drastically improve their growth rate and colouration.

Can Galaxea Coral sting fish?

Generally, no. Their sweeper tentacles are designed for chemical warfare against other sessile invertebrates. Most fish can easily swim away and are unharmed by them, though weak or dying fish might get stung.

Where is the best place to position Galaxea in a reef tank?

Place them in the middle to upper sections of your aquascape where they can receive moderate to high lighting and moderate flow, ensuring there are no other corals down-current of their sweeper tentacles.

MarineCoralsIntermediate

Galaxea Coral

Galaxea fascicularis

The Galaxea Coral is a stunning, star-like large polyp stony (LPS) coral known for its mesmerising polyps and intensely aggressive sweeper tentacles.

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Ideal Conditions

Temperature: 23 – 26 °C
pH range: 8.1 – 8.4
Hardness: 8 – 12 dGH
Salinity: 1.023 – 1.026 SG
Adult size: 10 – 30 cm
Min. volume: 100 litres+
Lifespan: 10 – 50 years
Diet: Photosynthetic and carnivorous (zooplankton/coral snow)
Water flow: Moderate to strong
Preferred setup: Reef environment with stable calcium and alkalinity

About the Galaxea Coral

Galaxea fascicularis, frequently referred to as the Galaxy or Star Coral, is a beautiful encrusting or massive LPS coral. It features tightly packed, tube-like corallites from which delicate, star-shaped polyps emerge during the day. While visually breathtaking, it is notorious for being one of the most aggressive corals kept in the reef hobby, capable of launching a fierce stinging assault on nearby tankmates.

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Is it right for your tank?

Check Galaxea Coral against a habitat you already keep. We compare water type, temperature, pH, adult size, group needs and everything living there.

Where Galaxea Coral comes from

Native range

Indo-Pacific, Red Sea, Great Barrier Reef

Countries / regions

Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Fiji, Maldives

Habitat

Inhabits reef flats, lagoons, and fore-reef slopes with moderate to strong wave action.

Widespread across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Similar species

Torch Coral
Euphyllia glabrescens
Hammer Coral
Fimbriaphyllia ancora
Frogspawn Coral
Fimbriaphyllia divisa

We’re adding more full species guides as the catalogue grows.

Compatible tank mates

Reviewed guidance based on this species' recorded traits.

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Ocellaris Clownfish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Reef-safe fish that swims in the water column and remains unaffected by the coral's sweepers.
Great
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Lysmata amboinensis
An active, reef-safe invertebrate that will clean the tank without harming or being harmed by the coral.
Great
Yellow Tang
Zebrasoma flavescens
Herbivorous grazer that helps control algae growth without picking at coral polyps.
Great
Montipora Coral
Montipora capricornis
A peaceful SPS coral that will easily be stung and killed if placed within reach of the Galaxea's 20 cm sweeper tentacles.
Compatible with caution
Raccoon Butterflyfish
Chaetodon lunula
A known corallivore that will aggressively graze on and destroy the fleshy polyps of large polyp stony corals.
Not recommended

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